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Macau's Gambling and Tourism Suffer as Virus Spreads; BAFTAs Criticized for Lack of Diversity; Chinese Markets Take Major Hit As Virus Spreads; London Police Shoot And Kill Suspect In Terror Attack; Democrats Make Closing Arguments Ahead Of Iowa Caucuses. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired February 03, 2020 - 00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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NATALIE ALLEN, CNN NEWSROOM: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I am Natalie Allen.

Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, coronavirus contagion, China's financial markets plunge as investors get their first chance to react to the Wuhan outbreak.

Police in London say the man suspected of two terror-related stabbings was released from prison just days ago after serving time for distributing extremist material.

On to this hour, hail to the Chiefs. Kansas City comes from behind for a thrilling Super Bowl win.

Thank you again for joining us. We begin with the Wuhan coronavirus spreading across China and stoking fears in the country's stock markets. Trading is back underway in the mainland after the Lunar New Year and it does not look good. As you can see there, as stocks fall, the infections keep rising. China now confirming more than 17,000 cases, 361 people killed.

The first known death outside of mainland China has been reported in the Philippines and more than 20 other countries or territories have cases of the virus as well.

For the latest, CNN's Steven Jiang is live in Beijing for us, and journalist Kaori Enjoji joins us from Tokyo.

Kaori, let's start with you. Stocks in China plunging in early tradings of 9 percent. This is the first time the markets have reopened. What could this signal?

KAORI ENJOJI, JOURNALIST: This is a vicious reopen, not just for the stock markets but the entire capital market in China and around the Asian region.

Take a look at Shanghai and Shenzhen opening down more than 9 percent, still close to those levels and afternoon trading here. A lot of these stocks -- hundreds of stocks going limit down of 10 percent. Hang Seng is in positive territory, remember, but that equity market has been down close to 6 percent over the last three trading sessions.

Japanese stocks, I see, are still down, over 1 percent, with 20 cases of the coronavirus confirmed. The KOSPI with 15 confirmed cases in South Korea, that index is also weaker.

But It's not just equities. Commodities are lower. Yields are lower as well. And the Chinese central bank has responded, because in a case like this, the instinct is to hoard cash. So central banks usually pump liquidity into the market, and they did just that this morning, the biggest amount of liquidity injections since 2004. That's the equity market.

Look at the manufacturing side. Look at some of the individual stocks and companies that are affected, ranging from Toyota to Honda to retailers. The factories in Wuhan won't be resuming for a couple of days, not at least until the 14th. In other areas, not at least until February 10th. This could be extended.

I have experienced covering two supply chain meltdowns, the 2011 Japan quake and the 2011 chip industry meltdown in Thailand because of the flooding. And I can tell you, it took months for these supply chains to come back up.

And the worry among economists is that it could take longer this time, because over the last couple of years, the industry has become much more specialized. And Wuhan in particular has tried to become more high tech. So, for example, if you need a particular ship that's only being made in Wuhan, even if the factories to resume, and at some point they will, to try and get a replacement until then is much more difficult now than it was a couple of years back.

And on top of that, a lot of people like to compare how is it now compared to SARS in 2003. There is not comparison, according to economists. Because just take a sheer -- look at the sheer size of the Chinese economy. The economy in China is eight times larger. The amount of exports from China is six times more than when the SARS outbreak took place. So the implications for this really can't understate it.

But as I point out, equity markets may resume. I think the fear is consumption. Will the mind and mentality recover? And as the case in Japan, it took years, if not, a very difficult time for the mindset and consumption to recover. So that's how it looks around the capital markets here. Natalie, back to you.

ALLEN: Kaori, yes. It will be interesting to see how other markets react, if this will have a ripple effect. Of course, other countries have had time to digest what has happened -- happening there in China. Kaori, thank you.

Let's move now to Steven Jiang in Beijing for us.

[00:05:02] Steven, Kaori talking about the importance of Wuhan and all of its businesses, everyone is on lockdown and this virus continues to grow. What is the latest?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Well, Natalie, as you mentioned in the lead, the numbers just look grimmer by the day, which is why now we are understand there is a second U.S. evacuation flight going into Wuhan to pick up stranded U.S. citizens there.

Now, we understand there is a bit of a delay in that flight, but still a U.S. official told me, because of the continuous high demand from U.S. citizens still in that city, there might even be be additional flights down the road.

But for the Chinese authorities though, they're focusing still on the containment efforts in the epicenter, that is Wuhan and Hubei province. Now, they say they are doing a couple of things simultaneously. One is, remember, one of the biggest complaints in the past few days was a lot of patients, including suspected cases, not getting tested because of a shortage of the testing kits.

So now, the authorities are saying, they are producing, ramping up production of the testing kits. They can produce more than 700,000 kits a day, so that should solve the shortage problem. The others, they have also sped up the process of getting confirmation results. So it used to take a few days, now, only two hours.

And the other thing officials in Hubei have been complaining was the severe shortage of medical supplies and personnel. Now, we understand more than 8,000 medical workers from around China have been sent to Wuhan to support over where to local doctors and nurses.

Then, of course, remember, they are building two brand-new medical facilities from scratch on the outskirts of Wuhan. One of these two have been completed. It was actually opened yesterday on Sunday. Now, we understand that facility with more than 1,000 hospital beds is under military control, with more than 1,400 military personnel running that facility on the outskirts of Wuhan. Natalie?

ALLEN: It's so important that more care is coming to so many people in Wuhan have not been able to get to see a doctor. Steven Jiang, Thank you so much, and Kaori Enjoji in Tokyo for us, thank you.

Other news we're following out of London, a 20-year-old terrorist suspect is dead after a stabbing attack on a busy street in South London. Sudesh Amman was already under police surveillance when the attack happened. He had done prison time for possessing and distributing extremist material.

For more about it, CNN's Nic Robertson is in London for us.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, police are describing this incident as isolated. They say they have it contained. They have named the 20-year-old man, a former terror convict, Sudesh Amman, who they say was shot dead at the scene. They say that he was subject of an ongoing police operation. Indeed there were police following him on foot when the events unfolded.

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LUCY D'ORSI, DEPUTY ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER, LONDON METROPOLITICAL POLICE: The suspect had been recently released from prison where he had been serving a sentence for Islamist-related terrorism offenses.

The officer saw that the device was strapped to his body and called in specialist explosive officers and armed officers to deal with the potential threat to that posed. Cordons were put in place and it was quickly established that this was a hoax device.

Initial first aid was provided to victims by our officers and London Ambulance Service continued their treatment once they were able to do so safely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: What isn't clear yet is how this all took place on a very busy thoroughfare in the middle of London on a Sunday afternoon, where there were lots of people walking about, going to the shops. This would be a big cause for concern not just for the police, not just for the public but for politicians as well. And British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that he is going to address the issue of terrorists and prisoners and their release from jail.

This particular person, Sudesh Amman, had been released after serving only part of his sentence. Very clearly, he was still a danger to the public. And this is a very big ongoing political issue right and something, it appears, the prime minister is going to address in what can be expected to be very strong terms on Monday.

Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

ALLEN: Let's talk more about the story with CNN Law Enforcement Contributor Steve Moore joining us from Los Angeles. Steve, always good to have you. Thanks for coming on.

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Good to see you.

ALLEN: Let's talk about the police work first and the fact that they were following this man as soon as he was released. What do you make of it?

MOORE: Yes, this is unusual, Natalie, but it is not something that is unheard of. I mean, we used to do that in the FBI. When you get somebody who is a danger to society, it doesn't matter if they are prior to a sentence or after a sentence.

[00:10:08]

You still are going to investigate. And if they pose enough of a problem to society, you can get permission to surveil them. And in this case, the decision to surveil somebody after they were released obviously saved some lives.

ALLEN: Right. And the fact that he had a fake device, what do you make of that? What was behind that, do you think?

MOORE: What that does is, number one, it tells you that he was not in a position or not connected with people who could get him real explosives, or built him an IED. So he made his own, obviously, made his own fake unit.

The deal with that is it causes even more disruption. I mean, think about it, terrorism besides causing people to fear for their lives is meant to disrupt society. So if you've got a body laying in the middle of the street, even though that person is no longer a danger to immediately take a life, now, you have to build a cordon around him, you have to bring in bomb experts and the streets are shut down for hours.

So it is an additional -- it's kind of like just an additional layer of terrorism that he can get essentially for free.

ALLEN: Right. And as Nic referenced in his story there, and as we can see here on the screen, this was a busy thoroughfare on a Sunday, and we have seen Londoners out who were out and about shopping become victims, someone driving through, someone wielding a knife. And this has to be unsettling that something like this happened again.

MOORE: Yes. And that is the intent of terrorism, to make people feel unsafe in their own home, in their own home country, and therefore, destabilize governments, things like this.

But the terrorist will go to the most populous place they can find. I mean, that's where the targets are. That's where they get body count. If I would believe that if I were one of the officers, the MI5 people, surveilling this guy, I am fairly certain that they thought that, wait, he is going to this area, this is not a usual area, this could be a very bad thing. He is going to a place where lots of people are. And unless that was part of his regular routine, they probably had an inkling that something might be going down.

ALLEN: Right, following him at the right time. Steve Moore, we always appreciate your expertise. Thanks so much for joining us.

MOORE: Thanks for having me.

ALLEN: All right, our other top story, Kansas City, fans of the Kansas City Chiefs erupting right there and the cheers, Sunday, as their team are in their first Super Bowl victory and, wait for it, 50 years. They overcame a double-digit deficit against the San Francisco 49ers to pull off the win, 31 to 20.

And the lucky people there to see it in person is our own Andy Scholes. He's live in Miami, where the game was played. I missed the last minute-and-a-half because I had to do a news update, Andy, which I know no one was watching. No one was watching it. So you take it from there.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Natalie, by the time the last minute-and-a-half had happened, I guess, the Chiefs had already completed one of the best comebacks in Super Bowl history. This game had so much anticipation and it definitely lived up to the hype between the Niners and the Chiefs.

This was a very close game, tied at halftime, then the Niners jumped out to a 20-10 lead in that second half. But the Chiefs just never say die there. They were down 24-0 against the Texans in the second round of the playoffs, then down 10-0 in the AFC championship game, and Patrick Mahomes would just not let them lose. He made some incredible passes to get them down the field. And then he found Travis Kelce for a touchdown to get them by just down three at that point.

And, again, Mahomes just leading the Chiefs up and down the field. They would take the lead. And Mahomes, the first quarterback in NFL history to lead a team to three double-digit comebacks in one playoff. He is your Super Bowl MVP, as the Chiefs get the win, 31 to 20, their first Super Bowl championship in 50 years.

Our own Coy Wire, he caught up with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid on the field after the win.

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PATRICK MAHOMES, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS QUARTERBACK: No matter where you come from, no matter how you are raised or what race you are, you can got out and follow your dreams. And that's what I've always believed. No one thought I was going to be a football player. Everyone thought I would be a baseball player, but I followed my dreams and now I'm here winning the Super Bowl with all of my teammates.

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ANDY REID, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS COACH: It's great. I've got a great bunch of guys, man. They are phenomenal. So I can go to another 20 years with this group.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: They're comeback kids. How?

REID: Heart, man, you now that. It's heart. So I'm proud of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: And Coach Andy Reid of the Chiefs is kind of a sentimental favorite in this game, Natalie. He was considered the greatest coach to never win a Super Bowl, never going to have to hear that again because now he is a champion. And he actually joked after the game that he's going to celebrate by eating the biggest cheeseburger ever.

ALLEN: Well, I think he can handle. He's a big dude, yes. All right, Andy, very much fun. I know you probably want to leave the stadium and confetti behind you and go have a cheeseburger yourself. Thanks so much.

SCHOLES: All right.

ALLEN: And there will be more coverage of the Super Bowl coming up on World Sport. That's in about 30 minutes right here.

Coming up next on CNN Newsroom, it is the beginning of the end as U.S. Senators get ready for closing arguments in President Trump's impeachment trial. And with an acquittal all but certain, we ask our political analyst to weigh in on the state of the U.S. government.

Plus, the first major contest of the U.S. presidential race is about to begin in Iowa, what Democratic candidates are doing to win the crucial support of the caucus-goers in that state, all ahead here. You're watching CNN Newsroom.

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ALLEN: Get used to our election music there because here we go, the first major contest of the 2020 U.S. presidential race is just hours away. Caucus-goers in the U.S. State of Iowa will gather Monday night to make their picks for president. Democrats vying for their party's nomination, you can imagine, have been sprinting across the state this weekend, making their closing arguments to supporters as well as undecided voters.

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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This state goes first. And tomorrow night is the beginning of the campaign. So my request of all of you is to do everything that you can in the next 24 hours to knock on doors, to talk to your friends, to get on the phone, to make sure that we have a large turnout tomorrow night. Because I've said this before and I'll say it again, if there is a low voter turnout tomorrow night, we're going to lose.

JOE BIDEN (D), FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Here is the great thing, the people of Iowa tomorrow, tomorrow night when I caucus, can hold Trump accountable, causing the candidate he is trying to destroy with his smears and his lies to get to say the word what Trump fears the most, we're going to caucus for Joe Biden.

So, folks, if you stand with me, we'll end Donald Trump's reign of hatred and division and begin to unify this country.

FMR. MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG (D-SOUTH BEND, IN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know you're going to see some ads saying that there is only two ways to go. Either you're for a revolution or you're for the status quo. But the good news for America today is that we have a historic majority ready, not only to rally around what we're against and get a better president but to come together in the name of what we are four as a country. And that historic majority is not just my fellow Democrats, it's independence, and an awful lot of what I like to call future former Republicans.

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you believe in that America and you believe it's worth fighting for, then I ask you, commit to caucus for me, be there tomorrow, pitch in $5, offer to do another round of phone banking or knock on doors, but get in this fight because this moment in history will not come our way again.

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've been able to answer the questions in a way that makes sense, which isn't just about pipe dreams, it's about actual plans. It's about the experience that I will bring to the office. So I am asking you to be there for me tomorrow.

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ALLEN: We will be following closely what happens there in Iowa. We will all still be following closely what happens in Washington, D.C. In just a few hours, closing arguments will begin in President Trump's impeachment trial. This will be followed by a vote of the two articles of impeachment Wednesday, and it's looking more than likely the U.S. president will be acquitted after the Senate voted 51 to 49 to block testimony from new witnesses.

Meantime, Democrat Adam Schiff won't say whether the House will subpoena former National Security Adviser John Bolton to testify, but he did say he will hold senators accountable.

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REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): I'm not letting the senators off the hook. We're still going to go to the Senate this week and make the case why this president needs to be removed. It will be up to the senators to make that final judgment and the senators will be held accountable for it.

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ALLEN: Joining me now from Palo Alto, California, Thomas Gift, lecturer in political science at University College London. Thomas, always good to have you with us, and we have much to break down here.

In the political world, it seems all eyes are on the two Is, impeachment and Iowa. Let's look at the lineup this week. First will test of election today in Iowa, then Donald Trump gives his State of the Union Address, Tuesday, he's expected acquittal comes Wednesday in the impeachment trial.

First, the end of the impeachment trial, what is the takeaway for you? Some Republicans have said it was wrong, what he did, but not impeachable, and we know they will not hear from John Bolton.

THOMAS GIFT, LECTURER OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Well, Natalie, it seems to me that the impeachment trial is really heading towards a very predictable end. It was divided along partisan lines at the outset, and it's going to be the same at the conclusion. Really, the only factor that could have changed that dynamic would have been for Trump's approval ratings were to plummet during the impeachment proceedings, that didn't happen.

[00:25:04]

So I think that Republicans felt electoral pressure to stick with the president.

A lot of Republicans continue to insist that Donald Trump did nothing wrong, but I also think that some like Lamar Alexander expressed a sentiment that was common among the party. And he basically said that what Trumpet did was inappropriate, but he didn't feel that it rose to the level of an impeachable offense and in an election year. He felt that it was preferable just to leave this up to the American people.

But I think where we are right now is where we kind of predicted when this whole process began back in September.

ALLEN: Right. So, post-impeachment trial, what has changed, in your view, Thomas, from this process? Has President Trump or the impeachment change the balance of power in the U.S. with the outcome of this trial?

GIFT: Natalie, I really don't think it has. If it has done something though, it's probably entrenched polarization even more than it already was. And so I think that you will see very high turnout, and a lot of polarization both on the Democratic side as well as the Republican side, because Democrats, of course, are more motivated than ever, I think, to remove Donald Trump from office, especially with all the wrongdoing that was revealed during this impeachment.

At the same time, Donald Trump has been very effective at mobilizing his base, of course, referring to this as a witch hunt, as presidential harassment. That's basically red meat for his base.

So it's hard to say whether Democrats or Republicans ultimately got the better at one another in this whole process, but I think both will be highly, highly motivated going into this next election.

ALLEN: Right. And we'll wait and hear what the president has to say at his State of the Union Address, and you know who will be sitting behind him again. That would be Nancy Pelosi, so we'll be waiting for the optics of that and see what he has to say about the Democrats in that speech.

Let's move on to Iowa, the other I, and talk about who might emerge, Biden, Bernie, Buttigieg, Warren, what are you expecting?

GIFT: Well, Natalie, I think that there is still a lot of uncertainty in Iowa. I think it is tempting to do this surely as a two-way race between Sanders and Biden based on some of the polling that we've seen up late. But I really think that Warren and Buttigieg and maybe even some others could be quite competitive.

Who ultimately comes out on top I think will be a function of a few different factors. One will certainly be turnout and which demographics are motivated to get to the polls. Sanders, for example, has a lot of support among younger voters, whereas Biden is much stronger among the over 50 age cohort.

Another crucial factor here will be how all the voter realignment shakes out under the Iowa caucus roles. Both Buttigieg and Warren appear to have a lot of support as second favorites. And with how the rules work, that could actually be quite important, so that could give them a boost. But the bottom line, I think, here, Natalie, is that polling (ph) that's going into Iowa isn't necessarily the candidate that ultimately emerges victorious.

So I think all eyes would certainly be on Iowa and it's very difficult to predict at this point.

ALLEN: Yes, it is. Well, we'll know in a few hours. We always appreciate your insights, Thomas Gift, thank you so much.

GIFT: Thank you, Natalie.

ALLEN: Next here, another angle on the Wuhan virus and one of the biggest tourist areas that is really taking a hit from, how Asia's casino hub is suffering from the outbreak.

And also ahead here, it is the night when Hollywood royalty mixes with British royalty. We'll find out who the big winners are of Britain's BAFTA Awards.

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ALLEN: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Atlanta. I'm Natalie Allen. Here are our top stories.

[00:32:29]

For the first time in 50 years, the Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champs. They rallied from a double-digit deficit against the San Francisco 49ers to pull off the 31-to-20 victory.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named Super Bowl MVP after throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for another.

Hong Kong police say two homemade explosives were found at a train station on the border with mainland China on Sunday. Police were called in after a cleaner spotted the devices in a bag under a train seat. No one was injured.

The streets of Wuhan have been nearly abandoned as China faces the escalating coronavirus outbreak. The country has now confirmed more than 17,000 cases along with 361 deaths.

China's Shanghai Stock Market plummeted Monday, the first day of trading after the extended lunar new year break. We'll be watching that for you.

Another story related to the outbreak is Macau, which is known as the Las Vegas of Asia for its casinos, but officials say gambling revenue was way down in January because of the virus; and tourism for the lunar new year dropped around 80 percent.

For more on this angle of the story, CNN's Ivan Watson now joins us live from Macau.

Ivan, hello.

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Natalie.

This semiautonomous corner of China is struggling with this crisis. Most of its economy relies on millions of Chinese from mainland China coming across the internal boundary to gamble in its casinos, to stay in its hotels, and now the authorities are trying to figure out how to keep their economy going while trying to avoid importing the virus into this former Portuguese colony.

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WATSON (voice-over): This is what the coronavirus crisis looks. An ambulance delivers a patient to the emergency room in the tiny former Portuguese colony of Macau, health workers fully protected against the new disease.

(on camera): The authorities in Macau aren't taking any chances. They are informing the public that, if you suspect you have symptoms of coronavirus, and that you've been in touch with somebody that you fear may also be sick somewhere in mainland China, call for an ambulance, which will deliver you here to the emergency entrance of the city's main public hospital.

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(voice-over): Images from inside the isolation ward. At least seven patients are being treated here.

The health emergency has had a startling impact on this semiautonomous corner of China. Macau, with its small population of around 600,000 people, is normally a major tourism hot spot, welcoming nearly 40 million visitors last year alone.

The main draw: Macau's towering casinos. This is the gambling capital of the world, with a casino industry that dwarfs Las Vegas, but since the coronavirus outbreak, tourism to Macau dropped 87 percent in January compared to the previous year.

(on camera): You've never seen it this empty before?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, never.

ALBANO MARTINS, ECONOMIST: I never saw something like this.

WATSON (voice-over): Albano Martins is a Portuguese economist long based in Macau.

MARTINS: You go to the streets, I never saw streets empty. You go to the main square, totally empty. I never saw this in my life, and I am here from 1981, so too long. Never. I think people are scared, maybe scared because of the speed of these infections.

WATSON: The Macau authorities say they have been rounding up every visitor from the Chinese province of Hubei, the origin of the coronavirus. Those people get a choice: either leave the territory or go into quarantine, but they're drawing a line when it comes to the critical engine of the city's economy. (on camera): Could one of your health measures be to close the

casinos?

(voice-over): "We do not rule out this possibility," the city's economy secretary tells me, "but at this point in time, the casinos in Macau are totally safe."

For now, Macau's glittering gambling houses are still open, but like the rest of China, the city is struggling with the new virus, and everyone here agrees this is just the beginning of the crisis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Natalie, the president of a casino workers' union has told us that she has repeatedly asked the city government to shut down the casino and hotels, saying it's just too much of a threat to the employees there. Of course, that is not happening right now.

I walked through one of these casinos, the Galaxy casino. It is massive. I estimate it's longer than a football field, and the tables are largely empty. And it's very surreal, because the casino workers, the card dealers, the people running the roulette tables, are all wearing masks. The few customers I saw there are wearing masks.

The only time you see anybody's faces is when you go in through an entry point. You lower your mask for a moment, and security guards basically aim a thermal camera at you to see whether or not you have a fever.

One ominous development: two people working on the periphery of the casino industry in the nearby mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai have been diagnosed with coronavirus, and they were working in and around the casinos here in Moscow. That is certainly a concern for the city -- Natalie.

ALLEN: Yes, health concerns and economic concerns right now. Ivan Watson in Moscow for us. Thank you for your reporting, Ivan.

Next here, the BAFTA Awards are under fire over a lack of diversity. Just ahead, we find out what some actors had to say about it on the red carpet.

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ALLEN: Britain's bat to film awards of now wrapped up, and the period movie "1917" is the night's big winner. The World War I drama captured seven awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

But casting a controversial shadow over the BAFTAs was the lack of diversity among the nominees, and some of the stars who attended talked about that.

CNN's Isa Soares was on the red carpet.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hollywood has descended on the Royal Albert Hall in London for the British Academy Film Awards.

(on camera): Oh, look, we're, matching. Your earrings and my jacket, right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We could pop (ph).

SOARES: Give me a shimmy. Oh, look at that. Fantastic.

(voice-over): And it was a night where acting royalty rubbed shoulders with British royalty. The stars, the glamour, and a glaring omission: diversity, summed up by Rebel Wilson.

REBEL WILSON, ACTRESS/COMEDIAN: I don't think I could do what they do. Honestly, I just don't have the balls.

SOARES: Not just men either, with all 18 acting nominees, all also white, a topic that overshadowed the awards, so much so that Prince William, BAFTA president, felt the need to speak out.

PRINCE WILLIAM, UNITED KINGDOM: Yet, in 2020, and not for the first time in the last few years, we find ourselves talking again about the need to do more to ensure diversity in the sector and in the awards process. That simply cannot be right in this day and age.

SOARES: On the red carpet, women to my left --

(on camera): As a female producer, do you feel there's a lack of diversity?

SOARES: -- and to my right didn't back away from tackling the topic with candor.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON, BEST ACTRESS NOMINEE, "MARRIAGE STORY": It's -- yes, it's pretty disappointing, especially because there were so many great films this year that happened to be directed by women. I think it just goes to show us that we're, you know, still part of a system that -- that holds women back.

SOARES: One woman that did break through was Waad al-Khateab, the director for her heart-wrenching documentary on Bashar al-Assad's war on the Syrian people.

WAAD AL-KHATEAB, BAFTA AWARD WINNER: This award, I would get it for the great Syrian people who are still suffering until today.

SOARES: On the night, it was another war that took home the most BAFTAs.

HUGH GRANT, ACTOR: And the BAFTA goes to "1917."

SOARES: A total of seven BAFTAs, including Best Film and Best Director for Sam Mendes's World War I epic, "1917." As expected, Joaquin Phoenix won Best Actor for his captivating

performance in "Joker," but it was absent winner Brad Pitt, represented on stage by Margot Robbie, who got the Royal Albert Hall giggling with a cheeky swipe at the royals.

MARGOT ROBBIE, ACTRESS: Well, he says that he is going to name this Harry, because he is really excited about bringing it back to the states with him. His words, not mine. Thanks.

SOARES: On the night, Hollywood royalty didn't disappoint. With Best Actress Renee Zellweger paying tribute to the town that Judy Garland so cherished.

RENEE ZELLWEGER, BEST ACTRESS BAFTA WINNER: Miss Garland, London town, which you have always loved so much, still loves you back. This is for you. Thanks, everyone.

SOARES: Isa Soares, CNN, at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: I'll be back in 15 minutes with more CNN NEWSROOM. Next up here, WORLD SPORT with Vince Cellini. See you soon.

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